Wait… Nikon’s rumored 'ZR-style' stills camera could have a viewfinder after all?

Nikon ZR product image with question mark over the lens .

As a self-confessed Nikon fanboy, there’s nothing I enjoy more than a good rumor about a new Nikon camera. And if there’s one camera rumor I’m holding onto more than a Nikon Z70 or a Nikon Z9 II, it’s talk of a stills-focused Nikon ZR. Especially if it turns out to be Nikon’s first full-frame fixed lens compact camera in the Z era.

Nikon Rumors has caught wind of a teeny tiny sliver of information that could have huge consequences, were this camera ever to make it to market. This unnamed and unsubstantiated Nikon camera was previously said not to feature a viewfinder, à la the Ricoh GR IV. But now, the rumor mill is saying it will have an EVF. Talk about whiplash!

Personally, this is music to my ears. I’m trying not to get caught up in Internet talk, but I cannot help but be extremely excited about even the slimmest prospect of this camera blossoming into reality. And while I was willing to live with it, I really wasn’t keen on the no-viewfinder talk.

The pocketable Fujifilm X-M5 doesn’t have a viewfinder because it’s designed to be as small as possible (Image credit: Future / Adam Waring)

To my mind, a camera like the Fujifilm X-M5 entirely warrants not having a viewfinder. Not only is it a capable stills and video hybrid camera, but it’s incredibly small. So small in fact, it’s about the closest you can get to an interchangeable-lens compact camera (however much an oxymoron that is).

Removing the EVF was a crucial design element in maintaining that incredible form factor. Another example is the GR IV or any model from the GR Series. These cameras are true compacts in that they can slip into the most conservative of pockets. A viewfinder would spoil that.

Obviously, it depends on what (if anything) Nikon is planning. If it’s aiming for the most portable design possible, then an EVF probably isn’t warranted. But if its intention is to compete with the larger compacts of the world, like the Fujifilm X100VI or Panasonic Lumix L10, then I think a viewfinder is absolutely necessary. Essential, even.

Interestingly, the rumor post doesn’t mention the fixed-lens aspect. It simply refers to “rumored Nikon camera without an EVF,” and talks in terms of the Fujifilm X-E5 and Sony A7C II. So, I guess there’s always the chance this camera could have an interchangeable-lens design. If it exists…

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